Before you get too excited about Sainsbury's

You may have seen the story in the Press and Journal this morning “Delight at store hope for Kintore”. Well, just a word of caution before you start celebrating.

Obviously it is good news. Very good news for a town with lamentably poor facilities. We’ll now have another option alongside the Co-op in Northern road and a well known name to boot.

A Sainsbury’s Local branch

But, that is where this store stands comparison in size terms – with the Co-op in Northern Road. We understand that what is being proposed by Sainsbury’s is a Sainsbury’s Local. The store size, we understand, is about 4,000 square feet.

That’s less than a tenth of the size of the current UK average supermarket, which is reckoned now to be around 50,000 square feet.

The new Sainsbury’s local is planned for a “small shopping parade in the Midmill area of the town” and will create 20 jobs.